Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/504

 490 NORTH CAROLINA The first or eastern comprises the level sandy country along the coast, and extends back to the falls of Roanoke at Weldon, and to the first or Ip west falls of all the other rivers. The midland zone is bounded W. by the line which skirts the outliers of the Blue Ridge. The third com- prehends the western and mountainous part of the state. The systems of rocks are primary, and belong to the most ancient of the geologi- cal series, called azoic, metamorphic, &c. They are granitoid, gneissic, and schistose. The rocks of the lower belt are tertiary or cretace- ous, and contain no metals, except the earthy ores of iron and manganese. The metamor- phic rocks associated with granitic occupy the midland counties in part, and the extreme western border, and contain the most impor- tant repositories of the ores. The granite formations compose two continuous belts, which traverse the state in a N. E. and S. W. direction. Raleigh is situated on the easterly belt, which is .from 20 to 25 m. wide. The granite in this belt is generally light gray, and composed of quartz, feldspar, and a small quan- tity of mica, feldspar prevailing. It furnishes very good building stone, but no metallic veins. The western belt is from 10 to 14 m. wide, and differs from the eastern by hornblende taking the place of mica. The rock is frequently soft and entirely decomposed, but portions of it contain good building material, and unlike the eastern belt it is traversed by numerous metal- lic veins and trap dikes. Here are gold mines, some of which produce copper. Buhrstone of good quality abounds in the midland counties, particularly in Montgomery. Agalmatolite, known as the figure stone of the Chinese, is found on Deep river, also near Troy, Montgom- ery co., and in some other places. Gold is extensively distributed through the hilly and mountainous portions of the state, and be- longs chiefly to four geological positions, viz. : loose quartz grits beneath the surface soil; stratified layers contemporaneous with the rock ; in connection with seams and joints of the rocks; and in regular veins, associated with quartz and the sulphur ets of iron and copper. The gold-mining business has been carried on to a considerable extent in the state for nearly half a century, the regular veins proving the most productive and perma- nent; the most celebrated of these are the Gold Hill mines in Rowan co., which were dis- covered in 1842. Other regular veins have been worked in Davidson, Cabarrus, Stanley, Montgomery, and Mecklenburg cos. Irregular veins and surface gold are also found in the same counties to some extent, and in Catawba, Randolph, Union, and Franklin cos. Many remarkable specimens were found in the vicin- ity of the Reed mine in Cabarrus co. long be- fore the vein was opened, one weighing 28 Ibs. Gold is also found in Anson, Burke, Clay, Cleaveland, Gaston, Guilford, Jackson, Lin- coln, McDowell, Moore, Nash, Polk, and Yan- cey cos. Many of the mines that were once productive have been abandoned. The prin- cipal counties producing gold are MecklenJLmrg, Lincoln, Montgomery, and Rowan. There was formerly a branch of the United States mint at Charlotte in Mecklenburg co. It is now an as- say office. (See CHARLOTTE.) The whole amount of gold from North Carolina deposited at the United States mint and assay offices to June 30, 1874, was valued at $10,090,656; silver, $44,628 ; total, $10,135,284. Silver and lead are associated in their ores in this state. Silver is found in Davidson and Clay cos., but the mines have been little worked. Copper is found in Guilford, Clay, Davidson, Jackson, and Meck- lenburg cos. Iron is found on Deep and Dan rivers, and in other parts of the state ; the ores embrace the hematites, and the specular and magnetic ores. There are mines in Clay and Yancey cos. Lead is found in Davidson co., copperas in Yancey, and black lead in Wake, Stokes, Yadkin, Yancey, &c. In Davidson co. is an important zinc mine, containing also gold and silver quartz. Bituminous and semi-bitu- minous coal is mined extensively on Deep riv- er in Chatham co. ; it is also abundant on the Dan. A belt of beautiful porphyry extends 7 or 8 m. N. E. from Jones Falls. Steatite, or soapstone, is common in the middle region of the state, and is quarried in Moore co. Lime- stone, grindstone, and whetstone exist in the W. part of the state. Alum and copperas slates are found in Cleaveland and Rutherford cos. One of the most extensive deposits in the United States of corundum containing em- ery occurs in North Carolina ; the beds lie on the N. W. side of the Blue Ridge, chiefly in Mitchell co. and the neighboring region. (See EMERY.) Extensive mica mines were discov- ered in Mitchell co. in 1867, and have since been worked with great profit ; there are also mines in the adjoining county of Yancey. In the western section mineral springs (sulphur, chalybeate, and alum) abound, and have become places of public resort. Among the curiosities of the state are the Swannanoa gap, a deep .pass in the mountains between Morgantown and Asheville ; the Catawba Falls near by ; the warm springs, Painted rock, and a curious rock called " the Chimneys," all in Buncombe co. ; and the Gingercake rock in Burke co., a curious pile of stone on a rocky eminence, in the form of an inverted pyramid, commanding a fine view of a ravine from 800 to 1,200 ft. deep. Recent freshets in the Catawba, the Yadkin, and the Dan have exhumed from the " bottoms " relics of curious interest, skeletons, burial urns, various implements and utensils of stone, pottery, and copper, and weapons and personal ornaments. In different parts of the mountain regions are ancient mines of un- known date and origin. The most important one is in Cherokee co., and consists of a ver- tical shaft 100 ft. deep, lined with skilfully worked timber, with a tunnel extending in to meet it from the foot of the hill. These mines are supposed to be of Spanish origin. The